Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleThe "OK" hand symbol has caused renewed controversy after an Australian official, Shaun Evans, was seen making the gesture during a World Cup broadcast. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) updated its database in 2019 to include the "OK" gesture, noting its adoption by white supremacists, initially as a trolling campaign but now genuinely. Evans vehemently denied any malicious intent, attributing the movement to an "involuntary, subconscious twitch," and was subsequently cleared by a FIFA committee. Despite FIFA's decision, its discrimination monitor, the Fare network, called for Evans' removal, describing the gesture as "neo-Nazi" and questioning its use at a global event. The ADL stresses that context is crucial when interpreting the symbol, which was added to their "Hate on Display" database due to a significant volume of hateful use. In fullWhy the OK hand gesture is sparking World Cup controversyThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
History of the OK hand gesture and why it is sparking controversy at World Cup
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleThe "OK" hand symbol has caused renewed controversy after an Australian official, Shaun Evans, was seen making the gesture during a World Cup broadcast. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) updated its database in 2019 to include the "OK" gesture, noting its adoption by white supremacists, initially as a trolling campaign but now genuinely. Evans vehemently denied any malicious intent, attributing the movement to an "involuntary, subconscious twitch," and was subsequently cleared by a FIFA committee. Despite FIFA's decision, its discrimination monitor, the Fare network, called for Evans' removal, describing the gesture as "neo-Nazi" and questioning its use at a global event. The ADL stresses that context is crucial when interpreting the symbol, which was added to their "Hate on Display" database due to a significant volume of hateful use. In fullWhy the OK hand gesture is sparking World Cup controversyThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
